Liquid fuel burner



y 5, 1932. L I A* COCKLIN 1,852,292

LIQUID FUEL BURNER Fil-ed April 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l )5 INVENTOR L.A. CocKLrN.

ATTORNEY,

April 5, 1932.. v AI CQCKLJN 1,852,292*

LIQUID FUEL BURNER Filed April 25, 19,50 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR L. A.COCKLIN.

ATTORNEY `ai) a l substantially Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATESLEWIS A. COUKLINyOF GRISWOLD, IOWA LIQUID FUEL BURNER i Applicationfiled April 25,

`My invent-ion relates to oil or liquid fuel burners of the type whereinthe liquid `fuel is delivered to a porous filler or wick containedwithin an open-topped retort, the combustion of the fuel occurring atthe top of said retort, and the heat from the `zone of combustionserving to vaporize the liquid fuel in the upper portions of the filleror wick. It is the object of my invention to im provide a burner of thischaracter of simple,

durable and inexpensive construction wherein liquid fuel is supplied tothe lower portion of the retort and a current of air is directedimpingingly upon the surface ofthe filler. A further object of myinvention is `to provide in a burner of this class means for encasing orjacketing the body of the retort to shield the same from the heat withinthe combustion chamber in which the burner is disposed when in use,whereby to limit the transmission of heat from the zone of combustion tothe fuel in the lower portion of the retort. A further object is toprovide means for causing a limited circulation of cold air through theinclosed jacket-space about the retort and to provide means whereby anyexcess ofthe liquid fuel which may be supplied to the retort, so as tooverflow therefrom, will be received into said jacket- Space andconducted therefrom through the cold-air supply conduit to a pointoutside the combustion chamber.

Iattain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a, vertical longitudinal section through the burner.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. d is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, the view beingupward from the plane of section.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic vertical section through a furnace i with theoil burner installed therein.

In carrying out my invention according to the illustrated embodimentthereof I provide cylindrical open-topped 1930. Serial `N0.\447,1156.

housingor casing 10 which is supported by rods 11 extending verticallythrough lugs 12 on the outside of the casing, said rods being adjustablysecured in said lugs by set-screws 1B. Two of the rods 11 are arrangedat opposite sides of the casing, and oneof them is disposed Vat therearward end, said rods forming adjustable legs `by means of which thecasing may `belevelled regardless of irregularities in the level of thefloor or other surface upon which it is placed. A retort l5, for afiller or Wick `16, is set in the rcasing and centered therein by :lugs`17 having shoulders 18 that slightly raise the bottom of theretort fromthe bottom of the casing, thus providing an air-space between the wallsand bottom of the retort andthe oorresponding parts of the casing. Thefiller or wich 16 comprises granular. fragments of refractory mineralcomposition, ofporous or spongy consistency, and having relatively lowheat conductivity. Disposed in the lower part of the retort isa.`perforatedcircular disk 19, havingtdownwardly extending lugs 2O whichrest upon the bottom` of the retort, whereby to provide a distributingchamber-from which the filler materialis excluded, and to which theliquid fuel is supplied through a suitable pipe 21. The disk fitsloosely Within theretort so that the fuel from the distributing chambermay flow about the edges thereof .as well as through theperforationstherein, and. rise into the filler to a` level determined by the fuelcontrol devices associated with the burner. An air conduit 22 isformedintegrally with the casing 10,the outwardly extending portionthereof being horizontahland the'innerend being turned upwardly andterminating in a substantially vertical portion 23 at the front side ofthe casing. In the `arrangement of the burner-shown in Fig. 5 the casingis disposed centrally in the lower. portion` ofthe combustion chamber 14`ofthe furnace. The horizontal portion of the conduit .22 extendsthrough the lower door-openingof the furnace-body and said openingisclosedl about the conduit by means` of brickm or other suitable materialwhich may be cemented to substantially seal the openingtand prevent theadmission of air to the combustion chamber except through the conduit,to the outer end of which a suitable blower 33 may be connected toprovide forced draft. When the blower is provided, operation thereof maybe discontinued at times, and air drawn through the blower casing bynatural draft, said natural draft impelling the air through the conduit.Inserted removably in the upper end of the vertical conduit portion 23is an inverted U-shaped air-flue 24 having a flange 25, which rests uponthe upper end of the conduit 22. The latter is notched atits inner sideto receive a lug 26 `on the lower side of the flange 25, whereby theflue is prevented from swinging about the axis ofthe conduit, and thedownwardly directed delivery end of the flue is kept centered above theretort. Said delivery end of the air-flue has a contracted orifice 27for increasing the velocity of the air delivered to the retort when theburner is to be operated under lowdraft conditions such that increasedvelocity of the air-stream at the delivery orice becomes desirable.Removably seated upon the upper edge of the casing l0 is an' extensionring 28, which has a downwardly extending flange 29 fitting inside thecasing wall, and-at one side said ring has a concave or re-entrantportion 30 litt-ing about the airflue and over the flange 25, as shown.The inner side of the extension-ring 28, at its lower edge, issubstantially in register with the inner side of the retort wall, andtherefrom said inner side of the ring is inclined outwardly. Theextension ring closes the upper end of the annular air-chamber 36 formedbetween the retort and casing, and the lower part of the ring isrecessed to form a plurality of vents 31 which lead from the air-chamberupwardly and over the wall of the retort thus providing outlets from theair-chamber. Air is admitted to the chamber 36 in limited amountsthrough an aperture 32 in the common wall of the air conduit 22 and thecasing 10. The aperture 32 also provides an opening through which thefuel supply pipe 2l extends into the conduit, said pipe passing throughthe conduit to a point outside of the furnace, thence extendinglaterally through the wall of the conduit to a control-valve 34E towhich fuel is supplied from a suitable source.

In the operation of the burner, the gravitational level of the liquidfuel in the retort varies according to the rate at which the fuel issupplied thereto, and some of the liquid is carried abovethegravitational level, or to the upper portion of the wick material, bythe capillary action of said material, due to the porosity thereof abovementioned. After operation of the burner has been started by ignitingthe fuel at the top of the'retort, the upper portions of the wickmaterial quickly become heated to a temperature such as to causevaporization of the liquid as it approaches the upper surface, and theresulting gas or vapor rising from the wick becomes mixed with the airemerging from the orifice of the air-flue. The impinging air-current,sweepin g across the upper surface of the filler or wick material,carries the flame radially outward and at the outer edge of the retortthe fla-me is directed upwardly by the extension ring 28. By reason ofthe radial spreading of the flamel outwardly from the central portion ofthe filler surface, the flame at one side of the retort will strike andheat the ascending portion of the air-flue, so that the incoming airwillbe slightly preheated. The

extension ring 28, in directing the flame upwardly, serves as aVdeflector or baille to limit the lateral spreading of the flame, andwill become intensely heated. The heat radiated inwardly from the ringtends to raise the temperature of the upper portions of the filler orwick material, to more effectively vaporize the oilin said upperportion.

By reason ofthe low conductivity ofthe porous granular wick material,the heat from the upper portion or vaporization zone thereof istransmitted very slowlyto the lower portion of the retort, and coolingof the latter is effected continuously by circulation of air through thechamber 36 about the retort. Said air-circulation through the chamber 36is caused by air from the conduit 22 entering the chamber 'through theaperture 32 and emerging from the vents 3l above the upper edge of theretort-wall, at which points there is thus provided an auxiliaryair-supply for supporting combustion of the fuel.

Should the flame of the burner become extinguished while the liquid fuelis being supplied to the retort, or should the fuel supply be turned onwithout igniting the burner, or if an excessive quantity of fuel besupplied to the retort at any time, so that the liquid level in theretort would riseto the top thereof, the excess liquid may flow over theupper edge of the retort through the, vents 31 into the casing. Thenceit will pass into the conduit through the aperture 32 and flow alongsaid conduit to a point 'outside of the furnace, where it may bereceived by suitable well known means. The air circulating in theconduit and air-space and through the vents, being cold, will cool theoverflowing fuel which flows counter to the direction of the air andwill lower its temperature below its vaporization temperature therebypreventing it from igniting in the casing or in the conduit.

I-Iaving thus described my invention what I claim is:

In a liquid fuel burner, a casing open at the top, an open-topped retortof substantially the saine height as the casing and having its wallsspaced therefrom within the casing to provide an air-space between them,means for supplying liquid fuel to the lower portion of the retort, aWick of refractory porous granular material disposed in the retort andsubstantially iilling the same, an air-iue having a delivery orificepositioned centrally above the retort and adapted to direct air onto thesurface of the wick material therein, an extension-ring seated upon theupper edges of the retort and casingr to close the upper end of theair-space, said ring having vents extendl ing from the airspace aboutthe upper edge of the retort and directed inwardly over the wiel;therein, an airconduit connected with said air-flue for delivering airthereto, said conduit extending horizontally at a levely below thebottom of the casing, and there being a limited opening connecting saidconduit with the lowest portion of the air-space about the retort,whereby air from said conduit may pass through said airspace to saidvents, and 2o liquid fuel overflowing the wall of the retort will beconducted through said vents and airspace to the bottom of the casingand thence through said opening to the horizontal air-- conduit.

a5 LEWIS A. COCKLIN.

